The Mayo News

THE summer recess may not be over but Fine Gael leader, Deputy Enda Kenny, has his gloves off and is ready to go into the boxing ring with Government when the Dáil reconvenes. Kenny’s gloves off for next Government round


Áine Ryan

THE summer recess may not be over but Fine Gael leader, Deputy Enda Kenny, has his gloves off and is ready to go into the boxing ring with Government when the Dáil reconvenes. He told The Mayo News last night (Monday) that it was his job ‘to knock out this Government’ and he would not be diverted by anything, including recent press speculation about his political future.
“My job as leader of Fine Gael is to knock this Government out and we have a raft of conventions in the coming months, ahead of the local and European elections. There may also be a by-election to be fought in Dublin-South,” said Deputy Kenny.
He categorically declined to comment on questions by The Mayo News regarding a report in this week’s Irish Mail on Sunday claiming Fine Gael was embroiled in ‘a vicious internal struggle that could decide Enda Kenny’s future’.
In the report, unnamed TDs claim that internal bickering over the upcoming annual parliamentary party meeting could lead to an ‘all-out feud’ that might only be resolved by ‘the down-fall of the under-performing party leader’. The meeting will be held in Limerick on September 17 and 18 next.
Political Editor, John Lee, also writes that Enda Kenny could be replaced by leading contenders such as Richard Bruton, Simon Coveney or Brian Hayes. He also states that certain (unnamed again) Fine Gael TDs, predict that Enda Kenny ‘will be ousted before Christmas if he cannot stop the infighting’. These TDs have also claimed that the Party’s ‘failure to capitalise in the polls on what has been a disastrous year for Fianna Fáil is bringing the party to the brink of civil war’.
Slamming Kenny’s advisers, one TD said: “Enda is losing the run of himself – he is completely uneven and lacking in focus. He is an extremely able man but he can’t say no, he listens to everybody.”
However, last night Enda Kenny was in ebullient form and flatly refused to respond or comment on such media speculation.
“My focus is to win the next general election. In the meantime, we are going to hold the Government to account for its disastrous mis-management of our economy,” said Deputy Kenny.

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